Indian Wells.- The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz He rolled on Saturday in two sets to French Quentin Halys in the first step towards a third consecutive title of Indian Wells Masters 1000 (United States).
Alcaraz, number three of the world ranking, surpassed Halys (59) by 6-4 and 6-2 in just 67 minutes of play.
The Spanish star, which chains 13 games won in a row in the Californian desert, will have a more complicated test on Monday in the third round in front of the Canadian Denis Shapovalov (28 of the ATP), which defeated the Australian Adam Walton in two sets (96).
“It could be said that it was a simple game, but it was not easy to control the nerves,” Alcaraz acknowledged after beating Halys. “I was very nervous before starting. I had to focus to be calm and play a good tennis.”
In his tour of a third end, Alcaraz will not face rivals such as the Italian Jannik Sinner, suspended until May for his positive for clostebol, or the German Alexander Zverev, who was surprisingly eliminated on Friday from a tournament where he was the first sown.
Alcaraz could run into the quarterfinals with Novak Djokovic, his executioner in the last open of Australia, who also premiered on Saturday in front of the Dutch Botic Van de Zandschulp.
The Serbian giant, with his reign between 2014 and 2016, is the only tennis player to achieve a tricampeonato followed in Indian Wells with Roger Federer (2004-2006).
Party development
In a sunny morning, the central track of Indian Wells received with great ovation to Alcaraz, one of his favorite players.
Before starting, the Murcian also lived a fun scene when he reunitted with Lance Davis, the hairy apicultor of the area that last year ended with a swarm of wasps that struck Alcaraz in full game.
In front of Halys, Alcaraz was adapting in the first bars to the new surface of the tournament, used in faster track events such as Miami or the United States Open.
The Spanish had his first opportunity to break the French service in the initial game and consumed the ‘break’ in the third, which allowed him to pocket the first set without shocks.
In the second manga he appropriated the first four games and sealed the victory having given only a ‘break’ ball not used by Halys.
“Indian Wells, we are back,” the Spanish wrote in the camera to celebrate his return to his fetish tournament.
